OUR STRATEGIC PRIORITIES
At the core of Springboard’s philosophy lies a profound conviction in the transformative potential of relationships. Our team actively listens to what residents define as most meaningful to them, providing support for their immediate needs while collaborating on the definition and execution of their longer-term goals.
Our strategic priorities focus on five areas intended to deepen residents’ socioeconomic well-being at the individual and family level and to shift policy, narratives, and possibilities for communities nationwide.
RESIDENT RELATIONSHIP DEVELOPMENT
Our work is rooted in strong, trusting relationships with residents of federally subsidized housing.
We currently provide a comprehensive range of services addressing housing, income stability, and emergent basic needs in four housing communities, serving approximately 2,500 people.
In our next phase of growth and development, Springboard will strengthen our navigation, coaching capacities, referral networks, and partnerships in Jackson, and receive additional training and development as resident navigators and personal and financial coaches. Navigators connect residents to organizations that offer essential resources for clothing, water, food, and school supplies, ensuring that their fundamental needs are met.
We are also testing expanding our offerings to affordable housing communities in the Jackson area without formal service agreements. This expansion has the potential to enable Springboard to assist hundreds, if not thousands, more Jackson residents without being constrained by contracts with property management companies. It could also open opportunities for Springboard to form new partnerships with additional housing communities.
SOCIOECONOMIC WELL-BEING
We’ve deepened our commitment to providing direct cash assistance by diversifying our service offerings to residents and expanding our program reach.
Springboard will continue the renowned Magnolia Mother’s Trust basic income project and expand program eligibility to include hundreds more affordable housing residents across the Jackson area. Moreover, Springboard is launching Lending Circles℠, a highly scalable, resident-to-resident lending program. Lending Circles℠ is a social loan program managed by Mission Asset Fund (MAF)
Taken together, these initiatives will enable Springboard to substantially increase direct financial aid to those who need it most, while simultaneously providing compelling evidence to local and national audiences of the effectiveness of socioeconomic well-being programs founded on empathy and trust.
FELLOWSHIPS
Our fellowship programs offer cohort-based learning, personal development, and opportunities for residents to catalyze positive change in their communities.
We are committed to building out these programs to create a more impactful and enriching experience for Fellows, fostering deeper learning, practical skills, and meaningful connections.
Through extended and enhanced fellowship programs, Springboard will nurture multigenerational leaders equipped to challenge systemic inequities and advance solutions that promote economic mobility, gender and racial justice, and community well-being.
POLICY ADVOCACY
Springboard residents advocate for programs, policies, and systems that their families and communities need most.
These priorities include Childcare Assistance, Child Tax Credit, Earned Income Tax Credit, Guaranteed Income, and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families.
In addition to supporting partners’ advocacy efforts, we aim to step into greater leadership of our own agenda, equipping and supporting more Springboard residents to participate in advocacy efforts (particularly Fellows in Springboard’s policy and systems change program and other fellowships, as appropriate) and leveraging its growing state and national networks to highlight the impact of Springboard-like approaches to poverty eradication.
NARRATIVE CHANGE
We support narrative change at the individual, local, regional, and national levels.
At an individual level, Springboard will link our resident coaching and planning support more clearly to help residents reclaim their internal narratives. These narratives can help achieve holistic prosperity through economic well-being, mental health, and wellness as a first step toward influencing systems change through storytelling.
At the broader local, regional, and national levels, ongoing partnerships with media outlets will continue to serve as a crucial platform for amplifying residents’ voices and elevating their impact on societal narratives. The foundation for our narrative change efforts will be persuasive public messages rooted in residents’ authentic voices.